What's Wrong With Six?
by Sub-Zero MKA
Summary: The team gets two new members, and they all have trouble dealing with them. Rated for language. Characters credited to Marvel Studios.
1. Chapter 1

_**A/N:**__ If you watched the Marvel Cinematic Universe special on ABC this past Tuesday night, then you already know that the team will be receiving two new members. This is my version of how they'll be introduced._

* * *

_**What's Wrong With Six?**_

The Avengers were the world's greatest team of superheroes. There were six of them, and they all brought in a little something special to the mix. Captain America brought the leadership and inspiration. Thor brought the strength and that fancy magic hammer. Hulk brought even more strength and a strong emphasis for solid anger management. Black Widow brought world class espionage and an exquisite taste for vodka. Hawkeye brought crazy trick shots and he could make a mean barbecue. And, of course, Iron Man brought world class tech, genius intellect, dashing good looks, an incredible sense of humor, their house, and plenty of awesome to go around.

All in all, the six of them were getting along just fine.

Well, not so much as fine as they were just starting to warm up to one another. Natasha even stopped threatening Clint and Tony when they acted up, and just resorted to rolling her eyes, or worse, glaring. The Widow's Glare™ could stop the Abomination in his tracks.

Even then, her glare was only at reduced power, a fifth at best. She reserved its full intensity for the jackass media members who insulted her friends.

"This is ridiculous," Tony complained.

Six was fine. Six was a nice even number. Six meant that they all could cover their weaknesses and play off their strengths. Six meant that they only had five people to learn about and get along with.

"Absolutely. Six is fine," Clint agreed.

Six meant three on three paintball, laser tag and prank wars.

"What does he mean 'new members'? Are one of you leaving?" Thor asked.

"Nope. I'm not going anywhere, big guy."

"Damn. I was kinda hoping you had been replaced." Clint punched Tony in the arm. "Ow! Did you see that? He just attacked me for no reason!"

"What's that? I wasn't paying attention." Steve smirked and stopped just short of the meeting room door.

It was a early in the morning on an already beautiful spring day. What better way to spend it than in a conference with stuffy old Nick Fury? He had called them early that morning to the helicarrier to introduce them to two people that he felt would make fine additions to the team.

Steve, Thor and Bruce were the only ones who were vocally in support of the decision. They all suspected that Natasha was as well, but she didn't say anything either way and kept her face neutral, as usual.

Clint and Tony were adamantly, vehemently against it. Why? Because, _"We're already the best as is. Why change?"_

_"Yeah. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."_

While their line of reasoning made sense, there was very little chance, if any, that they were going to change Fury's mind.

"It won't be that bad guys," Bruce said in an attempt to placate Tony and Clint. It didn't work.

Tony sighed dramatically and tore his sunglasses off. "That's easy for you to say. Our system is perfect as it is. Adding in two others just throws a monkey wrench into the whole thing."

He had another good point, to the point that Steve was starting to doubt whether it was a good idea or not. He turned the doorknob and held it open for everyone. Doing so allowed him a chance to scan the current occupants. Fury, unsurprisingly, was standing at the head of their meeting table. What was surprising was that the tail of his leather duster was flowing, as if caught in a strong wind. What was more surprising was that there actually was a strong wind in the room.

"Is there a window open?"

"Obviously not. We're 30,000 ft. up."

Steve raised an eyebrow and turned his curious gaze toward the young brunette woman sitting at the opposite end of the table, whose upper back length hair was also flowing. Her vibrant green eyes were filled with excitement and anxiety all at once. Her red lips were curled into a small, respectful smile as she laid eyes on them.

Steve took a seat at his usual place and looked her over some more, discreetly. She sure was easy on the eyes, that much was clear. She had an almost… doe-like appearance to her. A certain innocence that Steve had found himself missing in a world and time where everyone did and said whatever they wanted, consequences be damned. YOLO, he believed it to be called.

Anyway, she, from appearance's perspective, seemed like a fine addition to the team, if only because she was a woman. Natasha had been complaining about her being the token female member, and they had been looking into expanding in that direction.

Another point against Tony and Clint.

Tony looked her over, and then sneered at Fury. "_This_ is your big addition? She a kid. She'll probably have to leave at four to go watch Spongebob or Barney or whatever the hell kids watch nowadays. Hey," he pointed at the woman, "what do you kids watch nowadays."

The woman frowned and loosed a long-suffering sigh. Before she could reply, she glanced over and saw Natasha standing over her.

"You're in my seat," she stated matter-of-factly.

"Oh. Sorry." The woman had a very distinct Eastern European accent. Possibly from one of those smaller countries. It was nice. She stood, allowing Natasha to slide smoothly into her seat.

Steve watched the woman move to stand awkwardly in the corner, a soft red blush creeping up her cheeks. He narrowed his eyes at Natasha. She shrugged. "She was in my se-."

She and Tony both yelped as they both suddenly fell to the floor, flat on their butts.

"Here, Wanda, you can sit next to me," offered a man who had suddenly appeared out of nowhere. He favored the woman, apparently Wanda, a lot. Perhaps her brother. His platinum blonde, almost white, hair shimmered softly as rays of early morning sunlight hit it from the windows. His icy blue eyes delivered a cold glare to Tony and Natasha as they picked themselves up.

"Thank you, Pietro." She smiled and went to sit next to him.

"The hell did my chair go? And who are you two?" Tony demanded. Steve smirked when he noticed the embarrassed flush across his and Natasha's cheeks.

"They," Fury finally said, not even bother to hide an amused smirk, "are Pietro and Wanda Maximoff. They're the one who'll be joining the team."

"_These_ two?" Clint said in utter disbelief. "Look at 'em. What are they, like ten?"

"See?" Tony chimed.

"We're 25," Wanda retorted.

"And we have powers," Pietro added. He smirked. "That alone makes us more valuable that you or Red over there."

"What did you just say?" Natasha's voice was dripping with all of the quiet malice that made Tony shiver in his gold titanium boots.

Pietro just smirked. "Are you deaf? Allow me to repeat myself, then. You two," he gestured to the two agents, "are about as useless as they come. Being decent with a bow and having a nice ass? Come now."

Wanda smacked him on the arm. "You promised."

He sighed and held his hands up in defeat. "I'm just stating facts."

"Facts," Clint spat. Steve reached over to touch his arm, but that apparently only worked when Natasha did it. And she looked like she had no desire to calm her fellow agent down. "The amount of work Natasha and I have put into our crafts is probably more work than you've ever done in your entire life, you little shit. Why don't I come over there and wipe that smirk off your fucking –"

"Clint," Bruce said calmly. Clint eyed him and nodded. "Clearly, he's just trying to get a rise out of you two."

Pietro looked like he was about to say something, but a sharp glance from Wanda cut it down to, "Right."

Steve sighed.

Fury, for one, was enjoying this immensely. "Well," he said with a light clap of his hands, "I'll leave you all to get acquainted. Try not to murder your new teammates before their first mission." With that, he strolled out.

Tony's eyes followed him with disdain before flicking back to the newbies. For him, looking at Pietro was like looking into a mirror; and it sickened him to no end.

Wanda smiled as amicably as she could, given what her… brother? boyfriend?… had just pulled. "Well, I think I speak for my brother," brother, then, "when I say I look forward to saving the world with yo-"

"Do me a favor, kid; go fuck yourself." Natasha strode out without another word.

"Yeah, and fuck him with a rusty, AIDS infested battle ax while you're at it," Clint added before following her out. "Blade first!" he shouted from the hallway.

"Aren't they just delightful," Tony said with an unkind smile. "Learn to sleep with one eye open, Khaleesi."

Wanda's shoulders slumped more than he thought humanly possible. Bruce walked by and gave them both a pat on the shoulder. "Welcome to the team?" he more asked than stated before walking out.

"Indeed!" Thor, who had been uncharacteristically quiet throughout the whole ordeal, followed him and wrapped his huge arms around the siblings. "I shall endeavor to ensure that your time with us is well spent!" He carried them, practically literally, out the door.

Steve sighed again. This was going to be a long learning process.

* * *

_**A/N:**__ Hope you all enjoyed that. I'll continue it if you want me to._


	2. Chapter 2

_**A/N:**__ Since everyone wanted me to continue, I'll happily continue._

"I don't like them," Natasha stated like it was a deep, dark secret.

"I'm with you," Clint agreed. They were all, well, the original six, in the common floor kitchen of Avengers Tower. Pietro and Wanda were in the living room, so they were all huddled around the table, whispering like a group of gossiping schoolgirls.

It wasn't any secret that Pietro had rubbed a few of them the wrong way. Steve wasn't so much of an optimist that he would be able or willing to overlook it. Wanda, on the other hand, their dislike of her confused him.

She was young, yes; but she seemed like a sweet girl. He sighed and shook his head. "Let's give them a day before we condemn them," he offered.

Bruce nodded slowly. "Remember how badly we got along at first. It's the same thing here."

Tony sighed dramatically. "Fine. I suppose I'll give the junior heroes a chance." He stood and headed for the elevator, presumably for his lab.

"One mission. That's all I'm asking." He wanted for what he deemed to be too long a time before a string of begrudging monosyllabic responses trickled in from his team. He gave his head a shake and crept out of the kitchen.

The team, well, three of them, were going to be difficult. He could already see them giving the two a hard time. That was somewhat fair in Pietro's case; he exactly didn't do wonders to get off on the right foot. Wanda, on the other hand, still had a chance to get in their good graces. She seemed nice; maybe they'd learn to like her yet.

He crept along there wall leading from the kitchen to the living room. Pietro and Wanda were sitting on the sofa, speaking among themselves in their own language. He inclined his ear to listen. While he didn't want to eavesdrop, he couldn't help it.

They don't like us, Wanda lamented.

Yes. Your point? She gave him a pointed look, to which he sighed softly. Please don't tell me you actually care what those people think.

Her shoulders slumped. Of course I do. And I wish you would, too.

Don't hold your breath. These people… they'll never like someone like me.

Steve frowned. Never like him? While he got off on the wrong foot with them, he was certain that once they got to know him…

Because of your sour attitude, impatience, impertinence and complete inability to show any natural affection for anyone else but me?

…yes.

She smiled and scooted closer to him until she could place an arm around him. If they can accept someone like Tony Stark, they can accept you. Trust me.

He sighed heavily, but didn't answer right away. Instead, he put his arm around her shoulders. Thanks. But, like I said, it doesn't really matter to me. Unlike you, I don't need the approval of others.

And unlike you, I don't like to alienate everyone I meet. Her other arm wrapped around his chest to hug him. And don't try to hide it; you're just as excited as I am.

Absolutely giddy, he replied vacantly. I'm utterly bubbling over with excitement. I can't wait! Wanda rolled her eyes and tapped him on the cheek lightly.

For as much of a sarcastic jerk he seemed to be, he was pretty funny, in a dry way. Steve chuckled. Their heads snapped toward him, bodies stiffened and eyes suspicious. Crap. "Um, hi there."

"What do you want, Rogers?"

Steve stalked around the sofa to face them. For as many lessons on espionage Natasha had given him during their partnership, he easily should have been able to eavesdrop on two normal people. He sighed and unconsciously rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry about that. I… just wanted to see how you two were settling in."

"Bang-up." Pietro rubbed his beard, his strangely brown beard, and eyed him like he was carrying a gun. "Anything else?"

Before he could respond, she interrupted. "No need to be rude to Captain Rogers. I think he's one of the nice ones." Her eyes softened and lips curled into a smile.

Steve could feel something fluttering in his chest. She was cute, in a goth type of way. And she was– Why was Pietro glaring at him? "Heh. Steve will do just fine, ma'am."

"So long as you call me Wanda," she replied playfully. Pietro mumbled something roughly under his breath and folded his arms.

A soft blush tinged his cheeks as he sat in a chair across the room. "And can I call you Pietro?"

He just stared at him.

Steve cleared his throat. He was very suddenly becoming very uncomfortable. "So, that language you were speaking before; was that Romanian?" They nodded. "You're from there?"

"No," she replied. "We're from a place called Mount Wundagore, in Transnia."

He hadn't heard of that mountain, but he knew that the country was somewhere in the Balkans. That explained the accent. "Kind of a long ways from home, aren't you?"

Her face fell a little. "Yes. But, then, we really don't have one. We've had to go from place to place for the past decade."

He frowned softly. They were too young to be vagrants, but he had seen it before back in his day. Everyone was a drifter during the Depression, especially on the trek to California and New York for work. "Why'd you to drift from place to place?"

"None of your business," Pietro said harshly.

He flinched visibly. Seemed that that was a touchy subject. Since he had no doubt that they would eventually reveal whatever it was, he thought it best not to push it. "So, you're both 25. Does that mean you're twins?"

Wanda nodded and smiled. "Yes. Although, I'm older by thirty seconds. And clearly, I'm the more mature one. Isn't that right, baby brother?"

Pietro rolled his eyes.

He smiled and watched them share a glance. Even if they didn't say anything, something was conveyed between them that lightened his mood. It reminded him a lot Clint and Natasha. "I was an only child growing up. Must be pretty cool having a sibling." Especially when they were drifters. Eastern Europe was bitterly cold during the winter months, so having a companion to stay warm with meant living to see the next sunrise.

"It is," he agreed. "I don't want to think about where I'd be without Wanda." He smiled, probably for the first since he had been here, and patted her on the knee.

"Well, whatever the reason you had to move around so much, you won't have to anymore. You two have a home here now."

"Doesn't feel like one," Pietro replied. His icy blue eyes flicked toward the kitchen, although his demeanor softened a little.

"Don't worry about them. They'll come around eventually." Sooner, rather than later, he hoped. "Did Jarvis tell you were your rooms were?"

"Who?"

_"That would be me, Mr. and Ms. Maximoff. I apologize for not greeting you properly sooner, but Mr. Stark ordered me not to speak to you."_

"How very mature of… him?" They looked around for the source of the voice, confusion becoming quickly evident. "Where are you?"

Jarvis chuckled as Tony came running into the living room. _"I am an artificial intelligence created by Mr. Stark and installed into the building's mainframe. I am, essentially, everywhere. But I do, however, have the utmost respect for your privacy,"_

"And no respect for your creator." Tony shooed Pietro's feet from his coffee table. "I can't believe you, J."

"What's wrong, Stark? Mad that you're little voice in the ceiling has a mind of his own. Jarvis, it's very nice to meet you."

_"And you as well, Mr. Maximoff. I am terribly sorry, Sir."_

He sighed and waved them both off. "What are you doing, Steve, babysitting?"

Steve rolled his eyes. "No, I'm making sure they're comfortable here. Which you should have already done, Tony. It's your building, after all."

Tony rolled his eyes and motioned for the elevator. "Whatever. I'm doing it now. Come on, let's get you set up, kiddies."

Steve couldn't help but smirk. After a year of living in Avengers Tower, he was starting to see right through Tony's little tricks and schemes. It seemed like he was being a dismissive jerk, but he knew better.

Tony opened the door to their penthouse and stepped inside. "Here you are. Two bedrooms, one and a half bathrooms, a kitchenette. Fridge is empty, but we can go shopping later. Yeah," he looked them over, "I'll have Pepper take you clothes shopping. And I guess I'll have to see about making you two up some real uniforms. And… hey, you two listening?"

They weren't. They were too busy sharing, mouths agape, at the sheer vastness of the penthouse. The bright midday sun shone brightly through the wall length window across the room. It gave them a breathtaking view of Manhattan's skyline. "It's… it's… big," Wanda muttered. She tripped and fell onto the sofa, but still didn't take her eyes off the view.

"Yes, it's all very nice. Thank you, Stark."

"Yeah, don't mention it. Anyway, as punishment for his betrayal, Jarvis will have to answer all your questions, as long as they aren't invasion, and answer your requests and all that shit." Steve chuckled to himself, considering that that was his prerogative anyway.

_"Again, I'm terribly, terribly sorry, Sir,"_ the AI responded with a note of amusement.

"Yeah, yeah. Well, see you at dinner. We all eat dinner together, so, yeah." Tony shoved his hands in his pockets and strode off. Steve could hear him muttering dimensions and different fabric materials for their uniforms. He smiled.

"See? He's a nice guy; deep, deep, deep, deep, deep down inside." He smiled again. "I'll let you guys get situated. If you need me, just ask Jarvis for me." With that, he left to leave them to their business. Despite how much he wanted to hide it, Tony seemed to at least care a little about the twins. He didn't doubt that he was listening in on their conversation. It was kind of his deal; he still didn't like it, but there wasn't much he could do to stop him.

This time, he decided to let it slide.


	3. Chapter 3

Pietro switched from lying on _his_ bed and zipping from wall to wall in _his_ bedroom. After over a decade of having to share a single mattress with Wanda in the middle of whatever dilapidated house or building they could find, it had been difficult to appreciate the quality privacy that having his own room provided. It may have seemed small and insignificant to most, not that he gave even a little care, but to him, it was the most important thing about this whole deal.

Well, second most. Wanda being happy and safe was his biggest concern. For years, they had watched each other's backs, and he watched hers more so. He may have been the youngest by half a minute, but he was still more than able to take care of her.

She was all he had; watching her have to suffer on the street along with him was the hardest thing he had ever had to deal with. Watching all these self-centered assclowns pass them by, consider them as if they were some kind of filthy homeless people or chase them away when they asked for scraps to eat; it disgusted him. It made him hard toward the world because they world didn't care. It didn't care whether they lived or died, or worse. Why should he have cared about them?

Only one seemed to care. _"These homo sapiens don't care whether you live or die, Pietro. They'll sooner kill you to protect their own than extend a helping hand toward their superiors. They fear you, hate you, don't they? It won't be long until they seek to destroy us. To survive the coming war, you'll have to join your brothers and sisters, in the Brotherhood of Mutants. Here, you'll have a home, a family, safety…"_

Even that snake oil salesman, Magneto, didn't care about them. All he wanted was to use their abilities to further strengthen his army for the race war he planned on waging. It was hard to leave because he had saved him and Wanda from death on the streets, but it wasn't a safe place for them. It was a den of killers, liars and backstabbers; plus, Mystique gave him the creeps.

And he didn't like the way Mastermind and Toad looked at Wanda. In fact, he didn't like the way that Rogers looked at her, either. Or the fact that she didn't seem to mind; she encouraged it, even! He had to nip this in the bud before something came of it. He leaped of the bed and hurried out of his room. He quickly found Wanda standing in front of the television, squinting down at the buttons. "Wanda," he said abruptly.

She jerked her head upward in surprise. Suddenly, the television exploded in a pink cloud. She ducked her head to avoid the flying pieces of debris. " Pietro!"

He winced. "Sorry."

She sighed and moved to pick up the broken piece. He already had them in the garbage by the time she realized they were gone. "Guess I won't be watching TV today."

"There probably wasn't anything good on, anyway."

"Hm." She sat on the sofa. "So, what did you want?"

"It's about Rogers."

"Steve," she corrected.

She was using his first name now? Damn him. "Yes. Well, I don't like the way he looks at you." She groaned loudly and placed a hand on her forehead. "I'm just making sure that– what?"

She sighed. "Every time."

"Every time what?"

"Every time a man shows interest in me, you have to act like he's a-a lecherous pervert or something."

"Oh come on! No, I don't." Yes he did. "He _could_ be. You don't know this guy. For all you know, he could be a sex trafficking person." He looked from side to side quickly, knowing that what he just said made little sense. "What?"

"Can't you just trust my judgement?"

He was about to reply when what she said hit him. "Wait, what? You _like _this guy?!"

She looked down and blushed.

He threw his hands up. "Unbelieva– God, Wanda… you don't even know this guy. Seriously, he may not be all he's cracked up to be." For his sake, he hoped he wasn't. It was a terrible thought to have, but if he was going to keep her safe, it had to been done. He was going to have to put a stop to this before it was too late.

"Guess we'll find out, won't we?" He didn't like the way she said that, nor did he like the way she looked when she said it. Seriously, he just didn't like any of this.

"Wanda –"

"I'm hungry. Want some lunch?" she offered as she headed toward the front door. He sighed and just followed after her.

Thankfully, the world didn't hate him enough for Rogers to be in the kitchen when they walked in. Conversely, it hated him just enough for Barton and Romanoff, their biggest fans, to be sitting in the table. Romanoff flicked her emerald orbs toward them. He could feel her undressing him with her eyes; and not in a way he would have wanted.

Barton was just putting the finishing touches on a perfect ham and cheese sandwich, with just the right amount of mayonnaise and mustard on whole wheat bread. Romanoff had one as well, on flat bread with all kinds of weird looking crap in it. Once she was satisfied that he wasn't a threat, she turned to her lunch.

He walked in silently and began to prepare ingredients for his own meal.

Wanda sighed softly and sat across from Romanoff.

Tension was thick enough to slice with a butter knife. He didn't like awkward situations. They made him antsy. He could rarely relax without twitching as it was; this made it worse.

Ham, cheese, mustard, mayonnaise, and lettuce all found themselves on counter. All that was left was, "Where's the bread?"

"Top shelf," Clint answered.

Wanda cleared her throat too loudly. He turned and saw her giving him a pointed look. He sighed heavily. Sometimes, having a link with her was a bad thing, because playing dumb would have been much more preferable to having to humble himself to these two. "I'm… sorry for what I said earlier," he forced out through almost gritted teeth.

Romanoff and Barton shared a quick glance, their eyes dancing over each other, before nodding. "It's fine."

Pietro nodded and handed Wanda her lunch. He sat next to her and together, the four of them partook in what would prove to be the most awkward meal in the history of mankind. No one spoke, because a) the food was too good, and b) what would they talk about? The weather?

"So… your hair is silver," Romanoff stated.

"Yes. It is," he agreed.

"That's cool."

Awkward silenced were so much fun.

"We have the same eye color," Wanda pointed out to Romanoff.

The redhead looked at her intently before nodding. "Yep. Sure do. You have nice hair."

Wanda smiled and then nudged him in the side. Oh, was it his turn to say something painfully uncomfortable. He cleared his throat. "You, uh, wear purple well."

Barton looked down at his purple button down shirt, and then nodded. "You're right. You, um, wear blue well."

"You're right."

God, this was painful. Might as well finish it off. "You… have nice lips." That might not have been something he should have said. But, what else could he have complimented, her chest? That surely would have gotten him punched.

Romanoff smirked. "Why thank you, handsome."

Barton exhaled sharply.

Wanda sighed.

He just blushed.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony adjusted the blue shirt he was handed upon entering the gym the next morning and let out a lengthy yawn. This was followed by a chorus of backup yawns from the rest of the team. It was seven the next morning, and Steve decided that the team needed another round of team building, since they had two new members. "Gee whiz, gang; aren't early mornings just the swellest!"

Steve regarded the billionaire as an exasperated parent would.

"Why am I up so early, Rogers?" Pietro stood leaned against the wall, arms folded over a blue shirt. Wanda, in a red shirt, was next to him, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

"Team building, Pietro. A great way to spend the morning together. Right, guys?" He was answered by a series of groans. "Come on, guys, this will be fun! We're playing Capture the Flag."

Clint perked up. "With guns?" he asked, hopeful.

"Nerf guns."

He sighed, obviously disappointed.

"For those that don't know, Capture the Flag is simple," he explained, "Each team starts on opposite ends of the obstacle course right here. All you have to do is travel through the obstacle course to the other side, capture the flag and then bring it back to your 'base'. First team to do so gets five points, and first to thirty points wins."

Thor grinned his godly grin. "Indeed! This shall be a glorious game!"

Natasha bent down and grabbed a pair of Nerf guns, and threw Clint the bow and arrows. "This'll be fun. Been looking for a chance to pay Tony back for that prank last week." She smiled sweetly at him while cocking one of her guns.

He gulped. "We can use our own weapons, right?"

Steve slid his shield on his arm and grabbed a gun himself. "Yep. As long as you don't hurt any one. Same goes for powers."

Pietro smirked. "Thirty points. That means just six games, right?"

"Well, at least six, depending on how many each team wins."

"Just six, then." His smirk increased ever so slightly.

Tony rolled his eyes.

"Alright, guys, move over to your bases. Jarvis, activate Course 712, please."

_"Of course, Captain." _As Natasha, Clint, Thor and Wanda moved to the red base, several ramps, tunnels, walls, and other obstacles constructed out of hard light holographic projectors in the gym appeared in the middle of the room.

Pietro, Steve, Bruce and Tony all nodded at each other. _"Teams ready?"_

"Ready!"

_"Round 1, begin!"_

Tony took a single step forward.

_"Five points for Blue Team."_

Tony whipped his head around. The red flag was leaned against the wall.

"Whoa! What the hell happened?!" he heard Clint yell from across the room.

Tony scratched his head. "Who knows." Actually, he wasn't all that concerned about it. As long as he won.

Natasha crossed over to grab her team's flag, giving them each a dirty look before they left. "It's game time, team! Let's go!"

Tony smirked. "J?"

_"Right, sir. Teams, ready?_"

"Ready!"

Tony started to sneak toward the course early. _"Begin!"_

He surged forward like he was shot out of a cannon.

_"Five points for Blue Team."_

_"_What madness is this?!" Thor boomed.

Pietro yawned. "This is boring."

"I don't understand." Steve sighed and handed Clint his flag. "Okay, let's give this another shot, guys."

"Should I slow down, then?" Tony, Bruce, and Steve all looked at Pietro, who was smirking to himself. "I have superspeed."

"Oh," Tony drawled. That made a lot of sense. Tony nodded appreciatively. "Yeah, that might make things a little more – Wait a minute… the chair! That was you, you little –!"

"Tony," Bruce warned.

He huffed theatrically. "Fine. J."

_"Teams ready? Begin."_

Tony shot into the obstacle course and immediately leaped over a low standing bridge. Steve and Bruce were close behind him, with Pietro bringing up the rear. Tony turned and made a series of incoherent gestures.

"What?"

He sighed and rolled his eyes. "You two go that way. Bruce, you stay behind to protect the base." They nodded and separated.

It was bad enough that sudden obstacles were trying to kill him by getting in his way; Natasha and Clint might as well had been Rambo. Hard light was just like solid objects, meaning that Clint had plenty of high vantage points to snipe from. And he had no intention of being shot in the face with a Nerf arrow.

He slipped around the corner and edged down and under a tunnel, climbed over a wall and slithered through a slalom. There, he found Natasha crawling through a tunnel. He smirked; now was a perfect chance to shoot her in the butt.

Too perfect.

"Ah!" he yelled as a Nerf arrow tagged in him the temple. Another one landed on his nose. "Help!"

"Get him!" Natasha sprang out of the tunnel and opened fire on him. He was knocked backwards by the three darts that him in the chest and the two in the forehead. As he fell, he returned fire. He missed all but one, hitting her in the ankle.

Clint landed in front of Tony with a thud, bow string drawn back. "Say goodbye, To–" He was hit twice in the side and again in the head with darts that came out of absolutely nowhere. A silver and blue blur whirled around him, disarming him and stretching his shirt over his head. "Gah! Tasha!"

Natasha found herself flying into Clint, knocking them both to the floor.

Tony watched it all happen with a amazed gawp, which looked even sillier with all the darts stuck to his face.

"Let's go, Stark!" Pietro, armed with Natasha's guns, sprinted relatively slowly toward their base.

"HELP!"

Tony whipped his head back toward his own base. "That sounded like Bruce."

"Steve, no! She can –"

"Crap! How is she– oof!"

"Steve! Gah!"

Tony paled slightly. That last yell sounded pained. If anything, the Hulk showing up would kind of put a damper on things. He turned back to Pietro, "You get the flag, I'll head back and –"

"**GRAAAAAAAAAAAH**!"

Tony whipped back around and paled even more. "Shit."

"What the hell was that?"

"Bruce, no! Wanda, get back!" Steve shouted.

"Wanda," Pietro barked for vanishing completely.

"Damn it. This is what happens when we get up early." Tony ripped the remaining darts from his person and sprinted through the obstacle course. Clint and Natasha were well ahead of him, as was Thor.

Hulk roared and must have punched the floor, given how the entire room shook like an earthquake hit it. Tony very nearly fell to the floor, but managed to keep his balance. "Jarvis, cancel Course and activate Mark 43!"

The hard light hologram dissipated, giving him a full view of the Avengers, unarmed save for Thor and Steve, avoiding the very pissed off Hulk. Wanda was in the corner, clutching Pietro tightly. She was hysterically babbling something in Romanian.

Thor was able to hold Hulk back to give the others a chance to get armed. "What happened?"

"She hit Bruce with my shield."

The pieces of the improved Mark 43 flew into the gym and attached themselves to Tony. Fully suited up, he prepared an anti-Hulk dart he prepared just for these occasions. "She _threw_the shield?"

"No, she levitated it." Steve leaped over a Thor that had been punched in his direction, and charged to get his attention before he could get at Wanda.

Levitated? Like magic? God, he hated magic.

"Hulk, stand down," Steve ordered, but to no avail.

"HULK SMASH STUPID RED!" he bellowed before shoving him out of the way and leaping toward the twins. Pietro lifted his sister into his arms and dashed to the other side of the room, causing Hulk to just crash into the wall. Tony winced.

He fired his dart, but cursed when Hulk inadvertently moved out of the way.

He grunted and charged for the other side of the room. "Hulk, no!"

Clint notched a gas arrow and fired. It landed on Hulk's shoulder and emitted a small amount of anesthesia.

"Keep away from me!" Tony watched as Wanda's eyes filled white and a pink glow surrounded her hands. Her arms thrust forward, firing a red blast that hit Hulk in the legs. The goliath immediately fell to the floor carving a deep trench in the hardwood. He tried to get up, but it was like he was being held in place by something. "Someone do something." The strain was evident in her voice.

Tony fired a second dart, which hit him flush in the neck. It took a moment, but his face relaxed and steadily shrunk down.

In moments, an unconscious Bruce was inside the trench, face down and not moving. Steve checked his pulse before Natasha wrapped him in a blanket.

Wanda dropped to her knees, shaking visibly. "I-I'm so sorry."

Tony waved her off. "Don't worry about it. Shit happens. But, uh, we should talk about your, um, powers."

Wanda looked forlorn but nodded. Pietro wrapped his arm around her. "Will he be okay?" he asked.

Natasha nodded. "Yeah. Just needs to sleep." She stood and considered her. "We'll talk later. I need to talk with Fury." With that, Thor easily and gently lifted Bruce into his arms and walked out. One by one, they filed out. Steve and Tony waited until the twins left before leaving themselves.

"He had to have known that they had _these_kind of powers," Tony stated. The pieces of his suit dropped off of him and flew back into his Hall of Armors.

"Yeah. Why not just tell us right away?"

"It's Fury. I've long since stopped trying to figure out why he does anything." Tony sighed and watched Wanda leave with Pietro. It was freaky when her eyes filled white. And that pink stuff around her hands. He hadn't seen anything like it before. He wasn't sure if he wanted to see it again, not until he got a better handle on what it was exactly. "I hope it isn't magic."


	5. Chapter 5

Wanda couldn't stop fidgeting. She couldn't believe that she lost control _again_. It was only meant to be a light tap…

_Wanda giggled uncontrollably as she fired dart after dart at Bruce. All he could do was huddle against the wall and guard his face. "HELP!"_

_She smirked and quickly advanced on the flag. Bruce still had his pretend gun thing, so she opted to grab it from long range. A soft pink glow enveloped her hand; tendrils of energy, hex magic, as she called it, flowed from her fingers to the flag. It floated up from its holding place into her hand._

_Just then, Steve leaped in from the obstacle course. She felt herself growing warm from watching his taut muscles flexing underneath his tight shirt. She nearly forgot what she was doing. _

_"Stop right there," he said with a smile. _

_Oh, he had such a gorgeous smile. "Make me!"_

_He smirked and lightly flung his shield at her. _

_"No, Steve!" Bruce yelled. "She can –"_

_She smirked back and held her hand out. A pink field engulfed the shield, stopping it in its tracks. Her hand waved, spinning the shield like a top. Steve look stupefied. Too stupefied to get out of the way when she sent it back at him. "Crap! How is she – oof!" He dropped like a ton of bricks, more out of surprise than pain from the relatively light tap._

_Excited to finally be in control of her power, Wanda fired the shield at Bruce. But, her always tenuous control slipped in her excitement, sending it flying much faster than she wanted. "Steve!" It smacked him flush in the face. "Gah!" _

_She froze instantly. "No… Dr. Banner?" She hadn't meant to do it. It was an accident. She hoped he would understand. "Dr. –"_

_"__**GRAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!**__"_

_His beastly, almost inhuman roar sent a wave of fear coursing through her. She watched him pound the ground and turn large and green. He looked so pained, so hurt, and it was her fault. _

_"Bruce, no!" Steve kicked his shield onto his arm and moved to in front of her. "Wanda, get back!" _

_She got back, and didn't stop until she bumped into her brother. Pietro! I didn't mean to! He was– and I was– and I-I-I didn't mean– He grimaced and moved them into a corner. Some green monster had grown out of Dr. Banner. She recognized him as that thing on TV, the one who always destroyed things in its path. She shook violently and clutched Pietro's shirt tightly._

_It growled and punched the floor. An impossibly large crater was left, and the impact knocked her to the floor. The others appeared and began to engage the monster. He swatted at them, and managed to punch Thor to the other side of the room. He crashed through the wall with a loud bang. _

_Steve bravely stepped up and tried to get the thing to stop. "Hulk, stand down."_

_It didn't listen. As soon as its angry eyes locked into her. It growled fiercely and moved toward her. "HULK SMASH STUPID RED!" it roared as it leaped toward her._

_Dread washed over her like a sudden downpour. Her eyes squeezed shut. She hadn't meant to hurt him. _

_Before she knew it, she was on the other side of the room. The monster, this 'Hulk' crashed into the wall, fist driven through the thick wall right where she had been. He growled and charged toward her again. The others tried to stop him, but they weren't enough._

_"Keep away from me!" she yelled. The burning hot fire that was her power filled her every inner crack and crevice. It spilled out and filled her eyes white. Pink energy crackled and leaped from her hands, leaving scorch marks on the floor. _

_A red flash. A hex bolt erupted from her hands and struck Hulk in the legs, making him fall to the floor. He was going to get up and try to hurt her again. She wasn't going to let that happen. Like a million invisible strings wrapped around him, her power pinned him to the floor. It was easy with the shield; something this big and angry fighting against her influence was too much. "Someone do something."_

_A dart lanced from Mr. Stark's Iron Man armor and landed into Hulk's neck. Slowly, the resistance to her control faded, alleviating the strenuous strain she was fearing would overwhelm her. _

_She dropped to the floor. Her strength was sapped. She felt weak and tired. "I-I'm so sorry."_

"Wanda?"

Her eyes snapped up from the floor and onto her brother. He hadn't left her side since that morning. She was grateful. "Hm?"

"You were just staring at the floor," he mumbled.

"I'm fine. I just –" How exactly could she explain what she didn't even understand herself? She had no clue how her powers worked, or what half of them even were. Telekinesis through some… force that manifested through a pink field around her hands. Was that good enough? "– I don't know."

Pietro frowned, but kept looking at the wall in front of them. The common room might as well have been a prison for as trapped as she felt right then. She knew exactly what Natasha wanted to talk about. Their powers, how they got them, and why they didn't mention them until right then. "Maybe…," he trailed off in what had become his signature scowl. Frustration, and annoyance at that frustration, were permeable. "…Maybe these people can help you figure it out."

It was as if the very thought of the Avengers helping them was offensive. Her hand touched his. "I hope so."

His eyes darted to hers, clouded with something she couldn't quite place, before cutting to the opening elevator doors.

"Okay, kiddies, let's chat." The team, led by Tony, walked into the common room and found places to sit. Natasha sat next to Clint one sofa, Steve next to Wanda, with Thor on Pietro's side on the other sofa. Tony and Bruce shared a small couch. Wanda noticed, through the soft blush reaching her cheeks by Steve being so close, that Bruce was avoiding eye contact with her. She frowned, as it must have been so he would transform again.

"Yeah, you two got some 'splainin' to do." Clint smirked and sat back before gesturing for them to begin.

"Where should we start?" she said sheepishly.

"Whatever you're comfortable divulging," Steve said. She felt something flutter in her chest.

"So none of it. Fine by me." Pietro folded his arms.

"You have to tell us something."

Wanda touched her brother's knee. _It's okay. I think we can trust them._

His eyes narrowed. _Why? All they've done is criticize and tease is, Wanda! _

She frowned and repressed the frustrated sigh that was bubbling up. _Yes, but… I'm tired to not trusting anyone but you._

He wanted to say something in retort. His face screamed it. But, he thankfully held his tongue.

She smiled gratefully. "Well," she said to others, "I guess we can start from the beginning. My brother and I are mutants who hail from a place called Wundagore Mt. in Transnia. We lived up there with our adoptive parents until we were run off."

"Run off?" Natasha asked.

Before Wanda could answer, Tony cut in. "Adopted? Do you know who your real parents ar-?"

"No," Pietro answered before he could finish the sentence.

"Oh. Well, we could help you find –"

"No," he said firmly, almost angrily.

Tony put his hands up. "Okay, okay. No parents, then. Continue."

"We don't know our real parents," she repeated, but she was afraid that a small shudder in her voice might have given her away. "Anyway, we were run off because I set a barn on fire due to my powers awakening when –" She nearly gagged. Bile was quickly rushing up her throat, hot, burning bile that always accompanied this particular memory. Her eyes squeezed shut and she concentrated on taking deep, calming breathes.

Steve very innocently touched her hand.

"Get your damn hand off of her!"

Steve jumped and pulled his hand away like she was on fire. Pietro glowered fiercely at him, tense, seconds away from pouncing.

Wanda knew that Steve meant well. He seemed like the type to try and comfort people when he saw they needed it. She just didn't have the heart to tell her brother to stop, that it was okay.

"I-I'm sorry. I –" Steve groped for an apology, but Pietro's nuclear glare was too intense.

"Let's trade spots, Steve," Natasha offered. When he left, Wanda found herself missing his presence despite herself. The woman sat down, giving her a nice whiff of her sweet smelling perfume and cherry blossom shampoo. "If you don't feel comfortable, we can move on. We all have skeletons in our closet that we don't want anyone to see."

"Aye, do not feel bad about this. We have all been there," Thor added.

Hearing that made her feel a little better. Hearing that these people, these mighty Avengers, had bad, terrible things happen to them also made her feel not as different. Maybe they could trust them after all.

"How about your powers, then?"

"Okay. Pietro has superspeed, and I, um…" Here it was. How exactly was she going to ,make them understand what she could do? Especially when she didn't even understand it fully. "I can project an energy field that can make stuff happen?"

"You're asking?" Bruce, who had been silent for the most part, spoke softly. Wanda felt a ping of guilt rise in her chest.

She shrugged helplessly. "I… don't really know what all I can do. I do know that I can levitate things, and can project energy blasts. I call them hex bolts. Oh! And I can manipulate probability." That was the confusing part. It sounded simple, but she had no way of controlling what happened when she changed chance.

"Manipulate probability, huh?" Tony stroked his goatee has the wheels of his genius mind were already turning. "Like making the impossible possible?"

"More like improbable probable. Right?"

Dr. Banner looked at her without an ounce of malice or anger. If anything, _he_ was the one who looked guilty and apologetic.

"Um, right. I can control it, if I concentrate really hard on what I'm doing. But, if I'm distracted…" She trailed off, defeated.

"Hey, I have a similar problem," he said. She could hear the kind smile in his voice. "I can help you, if you want. I don't know much about these abilities, but meditation always helps me; maybe it can help you also. Same goes for you, Pietro."

He looked up at that and raised an eyebrow. "What? I don't have a problem with my ability."

"Maybe not physically."

He frowned, but didn't say anything.

"Let's run some tests to see how far their abilities go," Tony suggested. "Nothing too bad. Simple things to get measurements from."

Wanda glanced uneasily at her brother. The last person who tried to run tests on them tried to enslave them with that dreadful glowing spear. "I…"

"I'm afraid we'll have to decline."

Tony frowned, but nodded anyway. "Well, okay, then. Guess we'll have to find out as we go along."

Wanda glanced at her brother again, but this time to flash him a subtly grateful look. "Now what?"

"_We_," Clint started, emphasizing that he meant just the Avengers, "need to talk with Fury. I think Pepper is going to take you two shopping for clothes."

"Who?"

"That would be me." Wanda turned toward the voice and beheld a redheaded woman, though not as red as Natasha, striding toward them. Her white business suit put her in the mind of a secretary, like the ones that worked for those horrible people who kept her and her brother imprisoned. _No. She isn't one of them, _she told herself. "Hi, I'm Pepper Potts, Tony's girlfriend." With a kind, friendly smile, he extended a hand to them.

Wanda took it, then Pietro.

"Yeah, Pep, just charge everything to the Platinum," Tony said dismissively. Pepper smiled and bent down to give him a kiss.

"Okay, we're gone. Be good, kids." She gestured for Wanda and Pietro to follow after her.

Tony rolled his eye in mock offense. "When are we _not_ good? Jeez!"

"That list of occurrences is a lot shorter than you think," Bruce quipped with a fond smile. Tony just shook his head.


End file.
